One of the most obvious benefits of standalone email advertising is that you can take as much space as you need to explain complicated concepts. As a result, dedicated email ads have often been used to find new prospects for industries that are complex (like finance or insurance) or whose buying cycle is very long (like autos and home improvement).

While it’s true that email is a good channel for generating leads in these industries, that doesn’t mean that other types of businesses can’t make email advertising work for their marketing campaign goals and for gaining new customers.

Below are ideas for four email advertising campaigns to fit multiple business goals.

Email Ad Campaign Idea One: Boost event attendance or in-store traffic.

Who it works for: Retail storefronts, any company that wants to boost attendance at events and generate more new leads in the process (book publishers, food and beverage companies, etc.)

Why it works: Special events and sales are a great way to deepen the relationship you have with current customers.

Old Navy often uses their email marketing to drive customers to shop in store (as you can see here), but the technique can be used to draw in new customers as well. Chances are you’re promoting an event or sale in through social and local media, but email advertising offers the possibility of targeting consumers with an individualized message.

Best of all, you can use performance-based email to pay only for people who RSVP to attend an event or who click through to learn more about your sale. So you get targeted reach that drives real results.

How it brings in new customers: If an event requires an RSVP to attend, you’ll be able to capture information about new leads. In any case, it’s a great way to get new people to interact with your brand and to get people in store.

Email Ad Campaign Idea Two: Get new product samples in the hands of consumers.

Who it works for: Consumer packaged goods companies

Why it works: If you already have a sampling program in place, email advertising offers a great way to get even more out of it by introducing your product line to new customers. If you work on a performance basis for your ads, you can even set a cap on the number of sample requests received daily.

How it brings in new customers: 81% of consumers buy after receiving a free sample, and most prefer to sample at home according to a recent study done by Opinion Research Corp. Include the chance to opt-in to your brand’s email and direct mail messages on your landing page, you can even grow your own list through the process.

Email Ad Campaign Idea Three: Promote a current contest

Who it works for: Any business that wants to drive added returns from a contest

Why it works: The purpose of running contests can be driving engagement with current customers, acquiring new customers, or even increasing your social media presence. As an addition to your own brand channels (like your website, packaging, and social properties), performance-based email ad buys can be a cost-effective way to drive more traffic and exposure for your contest.

This Pear Tree Greetings email even combines their contest with calls to action for their wedding invitation collections. Though their message was designed for their in-house list, it’s easy to see how the concept could be adapted to welcome new customers and introduce them to the company’s contest and product line.

How it brings in new customers: If contest entry requires registering on your site, you can offer the option to opt in to your current email newsletters, which gives you the opportunity to interact with new prospective customers. Alternatively, for a social contest, each new entry gets your brand and contest in front of the friends and fans of the entrants, which introduces more people to your products.

Email Ad Campaign Idea Four: Design your own daily deal or flash sale.

Who it works for: Online and local retail stores, restaurants, even local services

Why it works: Though there’s been lots of talk about the daily deals model running out of steam, it’s hard to deny that the idea creates a certain sense of urgency. However, it can get expensive to run one of these deals depending on the provider you run with, the discount you offer, and the number of units sold.

So why not create your own from scratch using standalone email advertising? Fashion brands can use the opportunity to deplete the last season’s back stock, and restaurants and local services can offer special deals for slow days. Again, if you use an email advertising provider who works on a performance basis, you can set a cap on the number of sales redeemed daily.

How it brings in new customers: Obviously,  special offers can be a good way to drive immediate sales. However, done correctly, a flash sale or daily deal can also act like a sample, putting your brand in front of new customers who might otherwise have been resistant to buying before they could try your products out.

What about you? What ways have you used email advertising to reach your marketing campaign goals?

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Lynn Dalsing
Lynn Dalsing develops marketing strategy and content within the U.S. market for ividence. She has several years of experience in marketing for both B2B and B2C audiences. While working at high-end maternity clothing manufacturer, Ingrid & Isabel, she oversaw the development and evolution of branding for the company’s highly successful launch into Target stores.

 Lynn has a passion for combining outstanding messaging with reach and engagement statistics, once describing an ESP’s reporting dashboard as the “best toy a marketer could get.” She can be reached at ldalsing@ividence.com.